The race is officially on for the Chamber's 2015 Small Business Celebration! Sixteen area small businesses from the scores of nominations are taking the next step and will be featured in the SBC Candidate Showcase next Wednesday, March 25 from 5 - 7 p.m. at Northwestern Michigan College's Hagerty Center. See who's in the race and mark your calendars for next week's Candidate Showcase which is free and open to the public.

Also, click here to register for the other exciting events as we race toward crowing the 2015 Hagerty Small Business of the Year.

The Small Business Celebration is sponsored by:

The Chamber is proud to be a co-sponsor of the Outstanding Educator Awards presented annually by the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District. The awards are for teachers, administrators and school support staff in the 5-county area for their outstanding contributions toward the education of our students.

Nominations are needed by April 17. Click here to learn more about the Outstanding Educator Awards and for a link to the nomination form.

We'll see everyone this evening at the Park Place Hotel for the return of Prime Time. Displays from almost 40 businesses that joined the Chamber last year along with several event sponsors will make this a can't miss Business After Hours gathering. See who will be featured.

There will be entertainment, food and refreshments, a special trivia contest, prizes and more at one of the unique downtown event venues in the Park Place Dome. Meet your new Chamber associates and connect with hundreds of business people from throughout the community.

Prime Time's presenting sponsor is:

Business After Hours is presented by:

Detroit casinos spend $165 million a year with their suppliers, and are looking to Michigan companies to fulfill near 50 procurement contracts ranging from food service to recycling and metal fabrication. Pure Michigan Business Connect is hosting an inaugural matching summit on April 30 for the Motor City's casino-hotel industry, and the application deadline is coming up March 22.

Click here for more information and to apply for the summit.

February was another terrific membership month, as almost 30 businesses joined the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce. Welcome our new members and remember to support your fellow Chamber businesses whenever possible and thank them for their involvement in the Chamber. 

Time is running out for nominations for the 2015 Citizen and Business of the Year for the Kalkaska Chamber. The awards are a 45-year tradition in the community, and will be presented at the Kalkaska Chamber Annual Luncheon coming up next month.

Nominations are needed by this Friday, March 20 and you can submit them by clicking here.     

Also, get registered for the Annual Luncheon, set for April 21 from 11:30 a.m.  - 1 p.m. at the Kalkaska Church of Christ.

The Kalkaska Chamber Luncheon is sponsored by:

Some of the Chamber's most-compelling stories of business perseverance, ingenuity and success are highlighted every Wednesday morning starting at 8:30 a.m. on the Chamber's Weekly Entrepreneur Focus on NewsTalk 580 WTCM. Chamber COO Laura Oblinger co-hosts with WTCM's Ron Jolly for a fascinating half-hour offering a close-up look at the community's business leaders and what's made them successful in their endeavors.

If you miss an episode of Weekly Entrepreneur Focus, you can listen to any and all past shows at this link or by visiting the Chamber website at www.tcchamber.org and clicking on the "News" tab.

The Weekly Entrepreneur Focus is presented by:

Government Relations Director Kent Wood analyzed Gov. Rick Snyder's budget plan and how it impacts the legislative hot spots of the Northern Michigan Chamber Alliance. Learn more in this week's Northern Michigan Business Blog including how you can take action to protect Northern Michigan's interests. 

The state Department of Transportation plans to rebuild 1.5 miles of US-31 in East Bay Township this spring between Three Mile and Holiday roads. Learn more about the project and how it will impact your business, your commute and other details at an MDOT Open House next Wednesday, March 25 from 5:30 - 7 p.m. at the East Bay Township Hall. MDOT staff and project contractors will review construction schedules, plans for maintaining traffic, anticipated traffic delays and related information.